Should I even bother with Stanford

YesPolyglotGal
Tue, 25 Jul 2017 07:15:18 +0000

Well the good news is that you definitely have the stats to qualify for admission to either of these amazing institutions! The couple of B’s here and there do not diminish your chances. The AP scores could be better; the physics one is not so good, as you obviously understand.

The bad news is that there are literally tens of thousands of kids with the same if not, better stats who will also be applying to these schools. So nothing is guaranteed and competition is fierce.

Something that I have noticed is that the students who are applying EA/ED are usually extremely strong applicants. With that being said, and I really do not say this to be mean, you will most likely be deferred. Most deferrals result in rejection.

If you are not 100% set on Duke, do not apply ED. I would, as other posters have suggested, work on strong 1st term grades and really figuring out which major and field are for you. Maybe focus on your passion rather than applying to these schools. That is probably one of the only ways to distinguish yourself at this point, in the short term, which may help your app.

Keep in mind that soooo many applicants are insanely qualified with better or similar stats; schools like Stanford will often try to choose applicants based on the essays. So do not rush yourself to compete with those who have obvious hooks and too-good-for-this-universe stats only to be deferred. Work on writing the best gosh darn essays for both schools.

You have wonderful stats that could get you into so many good universities with good scholarships. Spend the beginning term applying to these. Sit down and think about why you want Stanford and Duke; you have time now to compare them to other schools, perhaps you will find similar schools at which you would thrive and enjoy your life. Work on the safety apps soon because you can get good money, good housing, and possibly gain a spot at the best campuses of larger unis (ex: University Park @ PSU and the New Brunswick Campus of Rutgers University). Ohio State is an excellent school at which you, being an in-state student, would have quite a lot of opportunities.

In short, wait. Focus on getting straight A’s and writing some amazing, beautiful essays to boost your chances at these highly competitive schools. But do not close your mind to the numerous amazing opportunities that a student of your caliber will have.